The World of Luxury Bomb Shelters (vice.com)

An anonymous reader writes with this Vice profile of Robert Vicino, founder and CEO of survival prep company The Vivos Group. For a prepaid $35,000 entry fee, you may take shelter in one of his luxury bomb shelters when civilization collapses. "Those who make it their business to equip themselves for a civilization-ending mega-disaster—a.k.a. 'preppers'—are sometimes stereotyped as wild-eyed tinfoil hat wearers who live outside of society, but Robert Vicino caters to survivalists whose fears are backed up by money. The San Diego businessman is gunning to be the vanguard of a multibillion-dollar industry. If we're to follow the entrepreneur's logic, the rich don't live on the same scale as ordinary people in today's society—why should that change after the end of the world?"

Comments

Scammers

[gurps_npc]

The idea that you can make it to the shelter is ridiculous. If by some chance we need one, we won't have enough notice to do more than move 50 miles. The only people that could possibly be saved by the these luxury shelters are those that work there.

Honestly, almost all of the people selling this kind of crap are scammers.

You want to really protect yourself? Get into the distribution/warehouse business - so you have a warehouse full of food, water, etc. on hand all the time. Put a shelter under/in your work place.

Re:Scammers

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

You want to really protect yourself? Get into the distribution/warehouse business - so you have a warehouse full of food, water, etc. on hand all the time. Put a shelter under/in your work place.

My plan is to find a Home Depot next to a grocery store and move in there.

Re:Scammers

[xlsior]

The idea that you can make it to the shelter is ridiculous. If by some chance we need one, we won't have enough notice to do more than move 50 miles

Even if you could make it there -- what are the odds that the on-site maintenance people are even going to let you in, rather than their own families?

Re:Scammers

[TWX]

I have a feeling that organized crime, which already has a lot of hooks into the underlying infrastructure of society that people don't like to think about, will probably be some of the best survivors in these circumstances. First, depending on what aspect they use as their angle, they might already have the warehousing and distribution part under their control. Second, as an entity that is already accustomed to using violence in business, continuing to use violence against others that are inexperienced in using violence to further their ends (ie, those that would seek to raid a warehouse of supplies) would have the upper hand in an engagement. Raiders that forced to be violent for the first time will probably not fare as well as veteran defenders that won't hesitate or won't hesitate as much.

So, it honestly depends on the warehouse owner/manager and the individual connections that the person has.

Re:Scammers

[Anonymous Coward]

You want to really protect yourself? Get into the distribution/warehouse business - so you have a warehouse full of food, water, etc. on hand all the time. Put a shelter under/in your work place.

My plan is to find a Home Depot next to a grocery store and move in there.

MY plan is to fuck your mother again and again until I am Adam and she is Eve and we restart civilization by inbreeding. Just like in the bible.

Go home Dad, you're drunk.

Re: Scammers

[BurningFeetMan]

Please tell me that this plot is a video game in the making!

Re:Scammers

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Hey asshole, get someone to read this to you:

humor
(h)yoomr/
noun
noun: humour; noun: humor; noun: cardinal humor; plural noun: cardinal humors

        1. the quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech.
        "his tales are full of humor"
        synonyms: comedy, comical aspect, funny side, fun, amusement, funniness, hilarity, jocularity; More
        absurdity, ludicrousness, drollness;
        satire, irony, farce
        "the humor of the film"
                the ability to express humor or make other people laugh.
                "their inimitable brand of humor"

Antonyms: jackoff (see "cold fijord"), dipstick (see "cold fijord"), humorless cunt (see "cold fijord"), pompous asswipe (see "cold fijord"), curmudgeon (see "cold fijord"), nimrod (see "cold fijord"), bliss ninny, (see "cold fijord"),

Take my money!

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Wait...don't take my money.

"The San Diego businessman is gunning to be the vanguard of a multibillion-dollar industry."

Or he'll bilk lots of people out of tons of money and then retire as the company goes down in flames.

to paraphrase Alice in Dilbert

[iggymanz]

to paraphrase Alice in Dilbert: I don't need to spend the money for a luxury bomb shelter. When civilization ends, I only need guns, burglary tools, and the addresses of luxury bomb shelters

First reported in 2012

[DerekLyons]

First reported on /. back in 2012

Move to Switzerland

[mspohr]

Switzerland still requires that all residences have bomb shelters. Most people build an individual shelter in the basement. Some communities have a community shelter. The government also has an extensive (semi-secret) network of bomb shelters in the mountains... also lots of military equipment in mountain bomb shelters.
They are ready.

Better Deal

[frovingslosh]

He wants $35,000 for a reserved space in one of his luxury shelters? Heck, for only $24,999 I'll reserve a space for you in one of my four star luxury shelters. We don't even tell anyone where they are until the complete breakdown of civilization, so that the armed thugs don't come and impose their selves on you. But we'll somehow contact you after the complete fall of civilization and take you to your closest luxury four star shelter to sit out the fall of mankind. Note: Minor local inconveniences do not qualify as end of civilization events You can only claim your reserved space in our deluxe four start shelters after the complete collapse of the court system. Send your money now.